Steel retainer



'Oct. 24, 1933. J. E. RENFER 1,931,509

STEEL RETAINER Filed May 31, 1930 INVENTOR Patented Oct. 24, 1933 UNITE o STATE STEEL RETAINER. John E. Renfer', Cleveland, hio, assi-gnor to The Cleveland Rock Drill Company, Cleveland,

Ohio, a" corporation of Ohio" 7 V ApplicationMay 31, 1930. SerialNo. 158.660

4"Cl'aims. (o1. 121-+-32)- The present invention relates broadly ftorock drills of the percussion typeand more specifically to improvements in steel or tool'retain'ers.

.One of the objects of this invention is to -provide 5 a releasable tool retainer which 'issimplein design, economic of manufacture, and one which is susceptible of readymanipulation.

Another objectis to provide a tool'retainer which is so'con'structed as to prevent the accidental disengagement of the tool or steel from the drill.

Another object is to provide means for maintaining the tool retainer in operative or inoperative position.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawing wherein like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several views: I

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the lower end of a rock drill showing the tool retainer of this invention attached thereto;

Fig. 2 is a similar view taken at right angles to Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with the retainer shifted to inoperative position and the tool or steel removed from the drill; and

Fig. i is an end elevation of Figure 2.

Referring nowmore in detail to the drawing, 10 indicates the lower end of the head of a rock drill, which has two oppositely disposed laterally projecting trunnions 11.

The eyes 12 of eyebolts 13 are journaled on these trunnions and these bolts carry the U- 5 shaped tool retaining yoke 14. This yoke has a substantially semi-circular loop 14a and the legs of the U-shaped yoke extend from the ends of this loop at substantially right angles to the plane thereof. The upper ends of the yoke 14 are provided with apertured ears 15 for passage therethrough of the eyebolts 13.

Threaded on'the lower end'of the eyebolts are nuts 16 and surrounding the bolts 13 and interposed between the nuts 16 and ears 15 of the yoke 14 are coiled compression springs 17. The legs of the U-shaped yoke member have inwardly projecting shoulders 18 which are adapted to seat in depressions 19 or 20 in the lower end of the rock drill.

the arrangement described the yoke 14 is urged upwardly by means of the springs and the shoulders 18 will bear against the lower end of the rock drill.

As is customary in machines of this type, the

=motion-inwardly. When operation of the ma- It will be evident from the foregoing that by,

lower end-.10 is provided with an axial opening to slidably receive the tool or'steel 25. The tool is formed with an integral collar 26 which engages the lower end-of the. machine to limit itssliding chine-ceases and it is desiredto lift the drill from the work some means must be provided toprevent the'tool from sliding from theihead and remaining in the hole which" has been:f'ormed. Accordingly, the loop 14a is formed of such a diameter as to engage the collar 26 and preventthe tool from sliding outwardly from the head when the inwardly projecting shoulders 18 are retained in the depressions 19 in the lower end of the drill.

When it is desired to remove the tool from the drill, the parts being in the position shown in Fig. l, the loop 14a is forced away from the tool to the position shown in Fig. 3 where the tool retainer will be held injretracted position by reason of the shoulders 18 seating in the depressions 20 by the action of the springs 17 in urging the yoke 14 upwardly. The tool will then drop out or can be removed in any other manner. To return the retainer to operative position it is merely necessary to force the same toward the tool which will be inserted in the axial opening in the lower end of the machine and the retainer will be held in this position by reason of the shoulders 18 seating in the depressions 19 by the action of the springs 17 in urging the yoke 14 upwardly. V

It will be evident from the foregoing that a new and improved tool retainer has been provided which is simple in construction, one which is susceptible of ready manipulation and one which is very effectively held in operative or inoperative position.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described it is to be understood that variations and modifications may be resorted.- to without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim: 1

1. In a drill of the class described, a head having trunnions therewith, eyebolts rotatably= mounted upon said trunnions and supporting a U-shaped tool retainer yoke having arms extending in parallel alignment, arcuated shoulders on the inner wall of said arms, a set of operative and a set of inoperative position depressions in. the lower face of said head within which said shoulders are capable of engagement to maintain said yoke into operative or inoperative position, and resilient means carried by said eyebolts and engageable with the arms of said yoke for maintaining said shoulders into said depressions but permitting the shifting thereof from one set of said depressions to the other set thereof.

2. In a drill of the class described, a head having a duality of trunnions extending therefrom, eyebolts rotatably mounted on said trunnions, .a U-shaped tool retaining yoke having arms slid ably mounted on said eyebolts and capable of rotation therewith, arcuated shoulders on the inner wall of said arms, depressions in the lower face of said head with which said shoulders are capable of engagement for maintaining said yoke into operative or inoperative position and resilient means carried by said eyebolts and engageable with the arms of said yoke for urging the latter toward said head and maintaining said shoulders in engagement with said depressions said resilient means permitting the shifting of -said yoke from one position to the other during the constant engagement of said shoulders with said head. r

3. In a drill of the class described, a head having a duality of trunnions extending therefrom, eyebolts rotatablyv mounted on said trunnions, a U-shaped tool retaining yoke having arms slidably mounted on said eyebolts and capable of rotation therewith, arcuated shoulders on the inner wall of said arms, depressions in the lower face of said head with which said shoulders are capable of engagement for maintaining said yoke into operative and inoperative positions, and resilient means carried by said eyebolts and engageable with the arms of said yoke for urging the latter upwardly, the upward movement of said yoke being limited by the engagement of said shoulders with the bottom of said depressions, said resilient means permitting the shifting of said yoke from one position tothe other during the constant engagement of said shoulders with said head.

4. In a drill of the class described, a head having a duality of trunnions extending therefrom, eyebolts rotatably mounted on said trunnions, a U-shapedtool retaining yoke having arms slidably mounted on said eyebolts and capable of rotation therewith, arcuated shoulders on the inner wall of said arms, depressions in thellower face of said head into which said shoulders'are capable of engagement for maintaining said yoke ,into operative or inoperative position, means creating pressureonsaid shoulders to assure the.

engagement thereof with the bottom of said'depressions, and further .means for Varying. said pressure. I

7 JOHN E. RENFER. 

